Portuguese firm GRA Nutra has released a new fermentation-derived beta-carotene colour for food and beverages in the US, where clean-label dyes are all the rage.
As food manufacturers race to get artificial dyes out of their supply chains, GRA Nutra has launched its newest colour for the US market.
Called AuraBC, the natural beta-carotene hue is produced via non-GMO fermentation technology, and provides warm yellow to orange tones to a wide spectrum of food and drink applications.
“AuraBC natural beta-carotene delivers a range of attractive yellow-orange shades to beverages, including flavoured waters, sparkling refreshers, energy drinks, juices, or dairy-based beverages,” said GRA Nutra CEO Lynda Doyle.
A vertically integrated process run on renewable energy
GRA Nutra produces a wide range of fermentation- and algae-derived ingredients for the food industry, including natural colours, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals, and specialty ingredients.
“Our proprietary fermentation technology is the key to optimising beta-carotene yields from naturally occurring strains,” Guido Schaer, co-founder and chairman of GRA Nutra, explained.
“The process is vertically integrated, combining ingredient production, extraction, purification, and formulation within a single facility. This integrated model reduces transport, minimises energy use, and improves overall efficiency and sustainability.”
The company’s manufacturing process relies heavily on renewable energy, either generated on-site with solar panels, or through certified renewable power purchase agreements. “Our commitment to sustainability extends beyond energy use to the very materials we work with,” noted Doyle.
“Unlike petrochemical-based production, our colourant sources are renewable, fermentation-based and algae-derived active ingredients. We prioritise short, efficient supply chains and partner only with suppliers who share our vision of achieving a zero-carbon footprint.”
Its latest colour, AuraBC, can be standardised to concentrations ranging from 1-30%. It’s available in versatile formats like spray-dried powders, beadlets, granulations, oil suspensions, and emulsions. The firm says these formats help maintain colour vibrancy and reduce processing losses.
The beadlet formulation, in particular, is said to provide high performance and stability, while delivering exceptional solubility, dispersibility, bioavailability, and organoleptic properties.
GRA Nutra
Natural food dyes both a ‘regulatory necessity and branding asset’
The launch of GRA Nutra’s latest natural colour comes amid a war against synthetic dyes in the US, spearheaded by Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
Last year, the FDA banned the use of Red Dye No. 3, a petroleum-derived colourant identified as harmful to both human and planetary health. Set to come into effect next January, the move brightened the spotlight on Red 40, the industry’s most used pigment. Sourced from the petroleum industry and made via a chemical reaction between two types of sulphonic acids, it’s been linked to hyperactivity in children.
Artificial food dyes appear in nearly a fifth of packaged food and beverage products in the US. In fact, research from Innova Market Insights shows that 28% of launches from Big Food companies in 2025 contained such colours.
RFK Jr has been pushing food manufacturers to move away from synthetic dyes, and two-thirds of Americans support this call. Giants like Nestlé, Mars, Kellogg’s, General Mills and others have obliged by eliminating these ingredients from various products, and the FDA even has a public tracker for such pledges.
“The food colour market is rapidly shifting away from FD&C petroleum-based and other synthetic dyes toward natural, clean-label pigments,” said Doyle.
“This is driven by consumer distrust of artificial colours, retailer and regulatory pressure, and aggressive reformulation by major brands. Our fermentation-based colours break through the cost barrier of delivering natural alternatives that are environmentally sound.”
GRA Nutra says natural colours are now both “a regulatory necessity and a branding asset”, but limitations in shade range, stability, processing performance, and capacity make it a challenge to meet the explosive demand. That has led to intensive R&D for sustainable alternatives, and the company’s vertically integrated plant is set to go online early next year.
“GRA Nutra provides food manufacturers with a viable means of reformulating products that align with clean label, wellness and environmental ideals, while giving brand owners a practical, sustainable alternative to synthetic colorants in flexible formats, at robust supplies and competitive prices,” said Schaer.
